GOVERNANCE
HANWASH is committed to accurate, timely and transparent financial management of all of its resources and expenditures, according to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). Policies and procedures direct HANWASH to independently verify the financial activities of all people who have access to its financial accounts. Financial activity is reported monthly to the board of directors, who also must approve annual budgets for each subcommittee and project. HANWASH is independently audited annually by a Certified Public Accountant firm.
Conflicts of interest disclosures are required to be revealed and explained in detail and such expenditures approved, prior to the release of any funds that might benefit any board members, staff or volunteers. The details of the policies and procedures regarding budgets and financial transactions for HANWASH and the responsibilities and authority of the Board Treasurer, Executive Director, and Finance and Administration Subcommittee Chair are available upon request for transparency.
Internal Systems & Controls
By following an ethical code for donations, evaluating outcomes honestly and transparently, maintaining accurate records, and creating clear policies, HANWASH is committed to accountability, transparency and legal compliance as a matter of ethical conduct. HANWASH also deeply values the trust that the people of Haiti, the government of Haiti and donors have given them, and will work hard to preserve that trust.
Performance Measurement
The Monitoring and Evaluation Subcommittee provides performance and navigation assistance for the three HANWASH groups:
- Business Internal – utilization of Rotary DMERL process to assist with performance and navigation
- Interventions – performance indicators to consolidate recognized standards
- External Indicators and Reporting – monitoring and evaluation for national and international stakeholders
Risk
Management
The objective is to minimize the obstacles, probability, and impact level to HANWASH success through challenge/risk management. The process includes an ID challenge/risk register, analysis, mitigation action and response, with the goal of building resilience into the HANWASH program to minimize potential disruption to its success. The process will also be used to track internal projects launched to address lesson learned opportunities for performance improvement.
Monitoring and Evaluation
Approaches to monitoring WASH programs have tended to measure systems built and approximate numbers of people served. These measures do not consider the actual services delivered – the outcomes. In contrast, the focus should be on the services delivered over time rather than on the number of systems built and installed. As a result, the HANWASH monitoring and evaluation process address, at minimum, service functionality, quality, equity, and number of people served. Resolution is continuous and not limited by the duration of an individual project. It also includes planning for likely failures and addressing what is not functioning (socially, financially, environmentally, or technically). Learning is shared internally to improve program quality and resolve issues and externally to share challenges and effective solutions with all stakeholders. Best practices and learnings generate feed back into the planning and design process for future programs.